1. FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The field of this invention is directed to wearing apparel and more particularly to wearing apparel which can be modified to be illuminated for a period of time and can be reilluminated after termination of the original period of luminescence.
2. DESCRIPTION OF PRIOR ART
The use of wearing apparel that has a specific exterior ornamental configuration has long been known. One common type of such wearing apparel is headwear. There are numerous types of hats, caps, beenies and so forth. At times, headwear may represent a particular desired configuration such as "Mickey Mouse ears".
Ornamental headwear wearing apparel is frequently sold within certain environments as a novelty item. Such environments would be theme parks. Generally, children are the principal users of such headwear and, the more attractive the manufacturing of such headwear the greater the enducement for the child to purchase and use the headwear.
Within recent years, a new type of novelty item that has become of common use within recreational facilities, such as theme parks, is what is frequently referred to as a glow tube. The glow tube is an elongated plastic thin tube which can be readily bent in any desired configuration. Within the interior of the glow tube there is incorporated an activatable substance. Upon the glow tube being manually grasped and rapidly bent back and forth, this substance is activated and light is emitted. This emitting of light causes the tube to glow and the tube will continue to glow for a period of time such as generally four to eight hours. The disadvantage of such a novelty item is that no illumination is possible after this period of time. The purchaser, usually a child, would like to be able to obtain illumination at a later time, days and even months later.
The incorporation of a glow tube in conjunction with an article of wearing apparel of a specific ornamental configuration is disclosed within the above referenced U.S. Pat. No. 5,177,812. The above referenced prior patent application includes the incorporating of a glow tube that can be reactivated after termination of the initial period of illumination.
One disadvantage to the above referenced patent and patent application is that the wearing apparel is modified in design to include the glow tube. It would be advantageous to have the glow tube conveniently attach to existing wearing apparel eliminating any modifying of the wearing apparel.